Build a Healthy Community
Healthy communities thrive. To guide your community in this direction, embark on a career related to health prevention, nutrition, policy and improving care quality with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from The University of Texas at Tyler.
In preparation for both clinical and nonclinical careers, a health sciences major learns about healthcare, health promotion, disease prevention and how to improve the lives of individuals, family members, community members and patients. Gain the knowledge and skills you need to improve health outcomes in East Texas and beyond using an evidence-based approach.
This broad and flexible degree serves as a springboard for careers related to healthcare and health promotion, for entering medical school or another professional program and for pursuing graduate studies in areas such as public and community health, health promotion, design and evaluation of health-related programs and quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
Why Major in Health Sciences at UT Tyler?
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences introduces essential healthcare knowledge while helping students build professional skills valued by healthcare employers, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, information literacy and information management. In the process, students grow their knowledge of health services and products, identifying, controlling and preventing chronic and infectious diseases, basic nutrition and its role in supporting positive health outcomes, systems of healthcare delivery and developing health programs.
A combination of coursework, labs and experiential learning equips students with the skills needed for a career or a graduate or professional degree in healthcare. The BS in health sciences gets you closer to these goals through:
- Experienced Faculty: Learn from faculty experts with real-world experience working with food-borne illnesses, cluster and outbreak investigations and bioterrorism emergency response.
- Undergraduate Research: Complete research-focused projects to enhance your learning while working side-by-side with dedicated faculty who care about your success.
- Mentoring: Be mentored by highly skilled Department of Public Health faculty who aim to support and guide future health professionals.
- Internships: Get valuable real-world experience through an internship with a local community organization.
- Exceptional Facilities: Through the Louise Herrington Patriot Center, students have access to more than 127,000 square feet of laboratories, classrooms, a gym, an indoor walking/jogging track, free weight areas and an outdoor therapeutic pool.
Curriculum
The program provides two tracks: the community and health education track and the health policy track.
Both tracks share a core of courses that explore a wide range of health-related topics, including diseases and their causes, distributions, risk factors and prevention and various systems of healthcare delivery and assessment and evaluation of health programs.
Core Requirements
All students complete eight hours of lab science in biology, chemistry or physics (in addition to anatomy and physiology courses).
Health Sciences core courses include:
- Environmental Health
- Human Diseases
- Principles of Community and Public Health
- Behavioral Health
- Program Design and Evaluation
- The Healthcare Delivery System
- Health and Human Sexuality
- Principles of Epidemiology
Community and Health Education Track
This track emphasizes health education and promotion in the community/global setting. The Community and Health Education Track requires taking the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination.
Courses include:
- Writing for Mass Media
- Speech Communication electives
Choose additional electives with the approval of an advisor.
Health Policy Track
This track emphasizes administrative aspects of healthcare and health promotion.
Courses include:
- Writing for Mass Media
- Introduction to Public Administration
- Urban and Municipal Government
- Comparative Health Systems
- Public Policy Analysis
The track also requires speech communications and kinesiology electives.
Health Sciences Major Requirements
What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences?
The growing healthcare field provides many opportunities for students to pursue fulfilling career paths that make a difference in people’s lives. Working in a number of settings and with a range of populations, our graduates begin positions where they strive to improve patient care quality, propose policies and new programs, encourage health through fitness and nutrition or monitor community health.
Our alumni are employed by companies and organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Medicare facilities, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the American Cancer Society, state health departments and a range of insurance companies, hospitals and fitness centers.
